Cheap Replacement
by Twilight Phantom Dragon
Summary: I know this isn't the school gym and there aren't any decorations or anything. And this isn't a stereo system. And I know I'm just a cheap replacement, but would you like to dance?" Daiyako


**Author's Notes: I know I should be working on my other stories, but seeing as this is just a oneshot, it's okay. I got the idea while trying to fall asleep last night and it was good enough that I decided to write it down. It's just some fluff. Miyako's a senior while Ken, Daisuke, etc are all juniors. **

**Couples: Mostly Daiyako with some one-sided Kenyako and a small mention of Takari and Sorato**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. I also don't own the quote that comes before the title. **

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"Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another."

~Anonymous

**Cheap Replacement**

Prom was something that most girls dreamed about for ages. It signaled excessive planning; shopping for new clothing and then meticulously applying the perfect amount of make-up to appear pretty but not garish. It signaled a night when the boy of your dreams would finally ask you out and you would be able to dance the night away with him. And when you weren't dancing with him, he would be snagging some punch for you while you giggle away with your friends. Even the least girly of girls would look forward to the night though with varying amounts of enthusiasm. Yamato and Sora had both liked the event when they had gone a few years back and now Takeru and Hikari were most likely enjoying the dance.

It just wasn't fair.

Rather than dancing with the boy of her dreams, Miyako was walking through the Digital World, kicking out at any stray rocks that crossed her path. She had chosen not to attend the prom after being rejected (kindly rejected, but still rejected) by Ken. While he didn't go to their school, she had hoped to invite him along as a guest. But he had turned her offer down.

_Maybe it's just because Ken doesn't like dances. _That small hope whispered softly in her head, but Miyako knew it was just a useless hope. Ken just didn't like her as much as she liked him. It had nothing to do with his preferences on social events like this.

Hikari had asked her to come along, but Miyako had told her that she didn't really feel like going to prom anyway. It was a lie, a huge one, but the truth was that Miyako didn't want to go to prom alone. Tagging along with Takeru and Hikari was out of the question. Not only would it be intruding on their night, it would make her a third-wheel, subject to listen to them whisper sweet things to one another. Plus, it just wouldn't be fair to them.

So she had gone into the Digital World, with the hope that it would clear her mind. She had told Hawkmon not to disturb her thoughts, but she was certain that he was still flitting between the tree branches. Even if the Digital World was at peace, her companion didn't want to leave her alone. She didn't mind it, so long as he stayed quiet.

Tears pricked at Miyako's eyes and she angrily rubbed at them. She didn't want to cry, but she couldn't help thinking about what she had missed. It was her last year of high school, her final chance at prom. And she had missed it just because a rejection by the boy of her dreams had crushed her spirit. Really, it was pathetic. She should have gone anyway to see if there were any single guys that would like to dance with her. She shouldn't have let Ken control her decision to go or not. But it wasn't really his fault; she was just blaming him because it was easier than blaming herself.

"Hey Miyako, what are you doing out here?" A very familiar voice spoke to her and she grit her teeth in irritation. And to think, she had been wondering if things could get worse. "I would've thought you would be at the dance."

Miyako whirled around to see the object of her irritation, Daisuke. From all her friends, he was the one she had least wanted to show up in the Digital World. Even if they were friends, there were few times when their interactions didn't lead into arguments. Out of everyone, why did it have to be Daisuke? He was the least likely to be sympathetic to her worries…

_At least it's not Ken. _That small voice, the one in the back of her head which had earlier voiced its hopefulness, was speaking again. True, if Ken had seen how distraught she was over not going to prom with him, it would've been horrifying. But Daisuke would laugh at her and he would be rude and he would either make her want to kill him or curl up in a corner…

Because she didn't want to reveal the fact that she had been crying, Miyako responded to him with as strong a voice as she could muster, "I could ask you the same thing. I would think you would be chasing after Hikari right now."

Was that hurt that flickered across Daisuke's face? She wasn't quite sure. But why would he be hurt? It's not like he did anything to hide his obvious crush on Hikari.

He opened his mouth to retort, but his expression changed into one of worry as he noticed the tears glimmering on Miyako's face. "Are you _crying_?" He sounded disbelieving as if he couldn't imagine the strong girl in front of him crying.

Miyako angrily turned away, rubbing at the tears with her knuckles. In a few moments now, he would begin to pester her why she was crying and when she didn't tell him, he would start teasing her about it. She couldn't lose to him, so she angrily added, "No. I just got something in my eyes." She couldn't tell him the real reason she was crying.

A hand landed on her shoulder, causing her to jump in shock. Daisuke's voice followed the gesture. "Tell the truth." Perhaps it was the seriousness that people rarely saw in Daisuke's voice, but words began to fall from Miyako's lips.

"Ken didn't want to go with me to the prom and now I'm stuck without a date, so I'm not going because it's lame to go without a date, and I'll end up going to college without ever attending prom and dancing with the boy of my dreams." Wow, she hadn't meant to say that much. In fact, she had meant to shut him out completely, but a combo of his touch and his seriousness had broken her. "And I don't need you teasing me about it." She missed the flicker of hurt across his face because she had clutched her eyes shut to prevent any more tears from escaping.

Daisuke stayed silent for a few moments and she was sure that he was thinking of stupid things to say, but the next few words out of his mouth were far from the expected. "I know this isn't the school gym and there aren't any decorations or anything." His hand left her shoulder and she turned around to watch him rummage through his pockets. "And this isn't a stereo system." His hand came out with an MP3 player. "And I know I'm just a cheap replacement, but would you like to dance?"

The gravity of his voice and his set expression made her realize that he really was asking her to dance. Not to laugh at her, but because he genuinely wanted to dance with her. She looked down at his gloved hand, which was extended out to her, and then at his other hand, which was holding the small music player.

Miyako didn't know what compelled her to say it, but in a small, unsure voice, she replied, "Okay."

Daisuke switched the MP3 player on and scrolled through his selection as he handed her one of the ear buds. She secured it in her ear just as soft dance music, made specifically for slow dancing, began to play. Then she placed her arms uncertainly around Daisuke's neck as he wrapped his around her waist.

It was odd, swaying with him to the music from his MP3 player. It was odd, being this close to Daisuke without arguing with him. It was odd to see a side of Daisuke that she rarely ever saw, a sweeter side. And as they danced together, the awkward distance was forgotten and she leaned closer to Daisuke.

His arms made her feel safe. With her head this close to his chest (he was a few inches taller than her now), she could hear the steady beating of his heart. It was both a comfort and a marvel. But what surprised her the most (other than the fact that Daisuke of all people had done such a sweet gesture) was the fact that she loved the way his arms fit around her and the way her arms fit so nicely around him. It really was something different from what she was used to, but it was something more special than she could have ever expected from him.

Another thought came to her mind, a thought that depressed her greatly. "I'm not just a cheap replacement for Hikari, am I?" A part of her dreaded the answer.

There was no pause as he truthfully answered, "No. You're not."

His answer made her heart thrill though she wasn't quite sure why. She liked _Ken_, not _Daisuke_. But if that was true, then why was she enjoying herself? Was it because she was just desperate to dance with anyone, or was it because of something more? Could it be that…? No, she didn't want to think about it. Because this was Daisuke and he was her friend and over half the time she couldn't stand him… _But what about the other times? And don't you have fun arguing with him? _

Again, that small voice in her head had returned. He had said that she wasn't a cheap replacement for Hikari. Daisuke wasn't the type of person to lie about things like that. Did that mean that he liked her? Liked her more than Hikari? That he was enjoying this dance just as much as she was? Did she like him back? Miyako's head was spinning. She wasn't sure what to think of Daisuke anymore.

"This is nice." The words came out as a soft murmur that couldn't be helped. She meant them, but she hadn't meant to confide in Daisuke.

A smile lit up his face and she found that she didn't care if the comment earned her some ridicule. Well, okay, she cared a bit, but not enough to take the comment back. Daisuke had begun to stare at her intently, an action which was making her feel rather uncomfortable now. Why was he staring at her like that? She didn't have anything on her face, did she?

As the last few notes of the song played, Daisuke's face lowered closer to her hot face. And for a few moments, his lips pressed against hers. It was magical and wonderful and made Miyako's heart race, but the moment was also short-lived. The song ended and he pulled away.

"Sorry." He muttered. "I couldn't help myself." His cheeks had reddened considerably as he looked down at the ground.

Daisuke had kissed her! He had actually kissed her! Miyako couldn't believe it, but she had to. To her surprise, it didn't bring about any thoughts of smacking Daisuke. In fact, she had liked it a lot.

"It was…" Miyako searched for a word to describe the moment before settling with, "nice." It was a lame way of talking about her emotions, but she couldn't think of any other way to talk about it. To think that Miyako would ever be at a loss for words, it was unbelievable.

A large goofy smile appeared on Daisuke's face and he asked, "Do you want another dance? Or another kiss?"

Miyako rolled her eyes. "Another dance would be nice." Man, she was using nice way too much today. Oh well, it was better than the alternatives. She could still be drearily walking through the forest.

Another song began and the two began to dance again. Thinking back to Daisuke's original statements when he had asked her to dance, she told him in a quiet whisper, "You know what, I don't think I would have wanted to spend prom night any differently." She looked away, feeling embarrassed about the confession.

Sure, there were no pretty streamers in a beautifully decorated gym, only the forest of the Digital World. There were no flashing lights of various hues, only the stars hanging over them. There were no lavish gowns or charming suits, only their regular clothing. There were no stereos blaring music at all the students, only an MP3 player and some headphones for the pair of them. There was no food sitting on tables and no punch for him to fetch. There was no Ken, only Daisuke.

This night might not be the prom she had dreamed about and the boy might be someone she had never thought seriously about, but she had decided that it was better than anything she had ever dreamed about.

Daisuke definitely wasn't a cheap replacement.

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**A/N: I think that went nicely. Writing Daisuke's sweeter side was interesting since usually he's portrayed as an idiot, but I don't think that he's that much of an idiot. At least some of the time. Anyway it was a lot of fun to write and Daiyako doesn't have that much fanfiction for it, so it's always nice to add some. Reviews are greatly appreciated. **

_**Twilight Phantom Dragon **_


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